Titanium (CivBE)

Of strategic importance to the progress of the colonies, titanium (atomic weight 47.86; atomic number 22) has low density, high strength and is resistant to salt water, aqua regia, chlorine and a number of other corrosives. Titanium is relatively common on this planet, and composes approximately 0.48 percent of the crust; however, because of its reactivity with so many other elements, it is difficult to produce pure titanium. Due to this, titanium is used instead in a wide range of metallic alloys. Bonded with minerals such as aluminum, molybdenum and vanadium, titanium alloys have critical aerospace and military applications. In the civilian realm, these alloys are used in petro-chemical production, desalination plants, the agri-food industry, and for medical implants and human augmentation. Half as dense as iron yet almost as high in tensile strength, titanium has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal; it is as strong as most steel composites, but is 45% lighter. Due to this, finding deposits of titanium ore is a high priority for those colonies which have adopted a Supremacy or Purity approach, the former for transhumanist adaptations and the latter for military and industrial purposes.

Titanium is the strategic resource when it comes to Production boosting: a single source may bump up a city's Production enormously, especially in the early game when there aren't that many production boosters available.

Titanium is needed for all advanced satellite units (although not as much as Petroleum), and for some Affinity units as well, which makes it very important for players developing their orbital capabilities.